What is the NYT Connections answer for September 11 (#1188)?

The four groups are PEOPLE HIRED FOR AN EVENT (BAND, FLORIST, PHOTOGRAPHER, PLANNER); INTERNALIZE (ABSORB, DIGEST, PROCESS, TAKE IN); WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE (EXERCISE, JOURNAL, MEDITATE, UNPLUG); THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY (AGENDA, ENVELOPE, LIMITS, LUCK).

Which Connections group is hardest today?

The purple group — "THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY" — is the trickiest, as it usually relies on wordplay or a hidden connection rather than a straightforward category.

What do the Connections colors mean?

Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the hardest — often involving wordplay or a hidden twist.

Friday, September 11, 2026#1188

NYT Connections Hints & Answer — Friday, September 11

DailyWordHints Editorial September 11

PEOPLE HIRED FOR AN EVENT

Easiest

INTERNALIZE

Easy

WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE

Tricky

THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY

Hardest

Today's NYT Connections groups are PEOPLE HIRED FOR AN EVENT (yellow), INTERNALIZE (green), WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE (blue), THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY (purple).

PROCESS

LUCK

JOURNAL

DIGEST

EXERCISE

ABSORB

PLANNER

ENVELOPE

UNPLUG

AGENDA

TAKE IN

BAND

PHOTOGRAPHER

MEDITATE

FLORIST

LIMITS

Hints by group

yellowEasiest

greenEasy

blueTricky

purpleHardest

Full answers below

Today’s answers

yellowEasiest

greenEasy

blueTricky

purpleHardest

See all past Connections puzzles →

Today's Connections hints (no answers yet)

Here are spoiler-free nudges for NYT Connections #1188, Friday, September 11. Reveal one color at a time and work from the easiest group (yellow) to the trickiest (purple).

How to use these hints

Each clue is written so it never names any of the sixteen words — it just points you in the right direction. Open the full answer only once you're truly stuck.

Strategy for solving today's grid

Lock in the group you're most confident about first to shrink the board, but resist the obvious four-of-a-kind — the puzzle almost always plants a word that fits two themes. Save the purple group for last; it usually hides the wordplay twist.

Frequently asked questions

What is the NYT Connections answer for September 11 (#1188)?: The four groups are PEOPLE HIRED FOR AN EVENT (BAND, FLORIST, PHOTOGRAPHER, PLANNER); INTERNALIZE (ABSORB, DIGEST, PROCESS, TAKE IN); WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE (EXERCISE, JOURNAL, MEDITATE, UNPLUG); THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY (AGENDA, ENVELOPE, LIMITS, LUCK).
Which Connections group is hardest today?: The purple group — "THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED METAPHORICALLY" — is the trickiest, as it usually relies on wordplay or a hidden connection rather than a straightforward category.
What do the Connections colors mean?: Yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple is the hardest — often involving wordplay or a hidden twist.